How-to Disable Google Chrome’s “Most Visited” Page

My biggest gripe about Google Chrome is that thing it does when I open a new window or tab. Without my asking, it displays thumbnails to my 9 most visited sites.

That can be a pretty cruel joke, and make for some of the most uncomfortable Join.Me sessions imaginable (I imagine). It could lead to mouse heaving, laptop tossing, and even covering the eyes of the guest visitor using your machine that has clearly been compromised and defaced by the most malicious of thumbnail browser worms (a new strain).

For the productivity junkies and anti-mouse peeps, ⌘+L will bring you to the address bar and – if the site is in your top 9 most visited – then you should be able to load the page within one or two keystrokes.

The Solution

Most how-tos only provide a solution to clear your most visited pages, not how to disable it. Both methods are easy: below:

Grab the Chrome extension New Tab Redirect. Install it, enable it, and then select ”Options.” Now, you can either create a custom launch URL or you can simply enter “about:blank” as the URL to have new tabs/windows load a blank page.

2 Responses

One would think an avenue of concern would lead more primarily to
the fact that they are tracking and recording your every move, in
the first place. They read your mail, as well. And sell your data.

And skew search results. Google is an Advertising Company. Happy,
too, are they, to turn over to the ‘government’ whatever they may
happen to request about you. Of, course, Facebook and Twitter do
the same, as does LinkedIn. Kind of an info feeding-frenzy at your
expense, with your total cooperation. But it’s fun to be ‘Modern’.